Sat, Jun 20, 2009
Union Agent Has Concerns About Job Security
The Allied Pilots
Association (APA), certified collective bargaining agent for the
11,500 pilots of American Airlines, applauded U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder for offering to provide input to the Department of
Transportation regarding pending applications for antitrust
immunity by various airlines, and U.S. Senator Herb Kohl for
ensuring that the applications are appropriately scrutinized to
determine their impact on airline competition.
“We applaud Attorney General Holder and Senator Kohl for
their focus on ensuring appropriate due diligence where pending
applications for antitrust immunity are concerned,” said APA
President Captain Lloyd Hill. “Antitrust immunity is by
definition anti-competitive, as Attorney General Holder and Senator
Kohl clearly recognize. If more airlines receive antitrust
immunity, the result will be fewer choices and higher ticket prices
for travelers.
“Also, APA continues to have serious concerns about the
impact on hard-working Americans when global airline alliances
receive antitrust immunity,” Hill said. “When companies
cooperate and consolidate, some jobs inevitably become
redundant.”
In addition to its concerns about competitiveness and job
security, APA has also been emphasizing the importance of ensuring
that U.S. carriers can be deployed on short notice for Civil
Reserve Air Fleet duty. That readiness could be compromised by
cross-border airline alliances or a relaxation of foreign ownership
restrictions.
American Airlines announced on Aug. 14, 2008 that it was
applying for worldwide antitrust immunity with four other carriers.
The airline also announced that it was entering into a related
joint business agreement with British Airways and Iberia. Since
those announcements, APA has been voicing its concerns about the
outsourcing, national security and competitiveness implications of
American Airlines’ plans.
Continental Airlines and United Airlines also have a pending
application for antitrust immunity.
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